All That Matters
by iluvtodance
Summary: Tristan and Miles conversation after the end of "Wise Up" 14X02. Triles. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Degrassi.**_

 **A/N: ATTENTION: Are there any individuals still aboard the Triles ship? I repeat are there people who still have not abandoned this ship? Lol seriously. I have been watching Degrassi, since the very first season of Degrassi TNG, and let me tell you, this show has not aged well. I think my favorite recent season was 10 that introduced Eli and Adam. However, the show is just so drastically different than when it first started now. Fans of this show, please do yourselves a favor and watch the older seasons. I'm talking about when Drake was on it lol Despite the changes, the Triles storyline really caught my interest. Of course, we all know how that storyline ends for now, but I still wanted to write something featuring them. BTW, this has been sitting on my computer since December, so it's inspired by episode 14x02 "Wise Up."**

Tristan sat quietly, gazing at the houses that passed by as he sat in Miles' brand new car. Taking a deep breath, he gripped the hand that held his tighter and decided to break the silence between them. "I'm sorry," he whispered sadly. Turning his head to face the boy beside him, Tristan remained frozen in the position and stared longingly.

Miles' broke his concentrated gaze on the road for one moment to spare a quick glance at Tristan, his forehead creasing into a small frown. "What?' He asked quietly. He refocused his attention on the road once again before speaking, "What are you apologizing for?"

Tristan released a small sigh as a deep sense of shame overcame him. Lowering his gaze to their intertwined hands, Tristan placed his free hand on top of Miles' hand in an attempt to show his remorse. "For how I reacted. Accusing you of manipulating me…" his voice faltered as his heart throbbed and a sharp, uncomfortable sensation filled his stomach once he remembered the wounded look Miles had that day in Biology class, "I'm sorry Miles."

Tristan heard Miles sigh softly, but he didn't break away from his fixed gaze on the interlocked hands.

Briefly looking in Tristan's direction, Miles attempted to soothe him. "Tris, I don't want you to feel bad about it. In fact, I want to forget the whole thing happened." Miles shifted in his seat uncomfortably when he felt the dull throb of pain still emanating from his bruises. Unknown to Tristan, Miles was really talking about the fight with his father—the physical fight with his father. The memory incited the appearance of tears at the corner of his eyes. Miles coughed roughly to fight any emotion from surfacing.

At this point, Tristan gathered the courage to look up. He sad eyes lingered on Miles. "I can't forget," he softly protested. "You're my best friend. I should always give you the benefit of the doubt, and I didn't."

Tristan's words caused a fluttering sensation to fill Miles' stomach and warmth to consume his body. The care in Tristan's voice comforted him in a way that he hadn't felt in a long time. Once Miles arrived to a red light, he took his free hand off the steering wheel and grabbed Tristan's chin affectionately. He rubbed his thumb against it, "Don't worry about it, okay? I don't blame you at all. I would've doubted me too." He offered Tristan a weak smile that did not reach his eyes and returned his hand to the steering wheel just in time for the light to turn green.

"Don't say that," pleaded Tristan, repeating the same words Miles used the other day. He leaned forward so that he could be closer to Miles. "I shouldn't have. I just…I was scared at the thought." He paused for a moment, trying to choose his next words carefully as possible. "I know you have been talking to Maya again, which is totally fine." He cleared his throat to hide the shakiness of his voice, "but I just blew you off without hearing your side of things. I let my own insecurity keep me away from you."

Miles tightened his grip on the steering wheel, growing increasingly more uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. He knew what was coming next and dreaded it.

"Miles is everything okay between you and your dad?"

 _There it is._ Miles thoughts grew bitter. He had already broken down in front of Maya, and he really didn't want to do the same with Tristan. He was barely holding onto his sanity as it is. He decided to change the subject. "Why did you mention Maya and insecurities?"

Tristan winced, pulling away from Miles immediately. He did not want to talk about his insecurities regarding his ex-best friend. "I…never mind. Not important." He noticed Miles' jaw clench and felt him pull his hand away from Tristan's grasp. Tristan couldn't believe how much two small actions could hurt.

"You're mad," he murmured uncomfortably. Sighing, he forced himself to get over hesitation. "I know how much Maya cared about you and you for her. She knows way more details about your life than I do, which is to be expected since she was your girlfriend for a long time…" His voice faltered, "I just really want to be there for you too, but I can't push you to let me in, especially with something so personal like your relationship with your dad. I get it." He tried to focus on the scenery they passed on the drive, but his vision—blurred by tears—prevented him from seeing much of anything. He settled for closing his eyes and allowing a few stray tears to fall down his face. He quickly wiped them away, silently berating himself for losing his composure and sounding like a jealous, whining jerk instead.

The silence that followed after Tristan's speech created so much tension between them. It really gave Miles the opportunity to allow guilt consume him. He knew his reaction to Tristan dropping the subject of Maya so suddenly was pretty harsh. He had so many conflicting emotions going through his head. Shifting his eyes toward Tristan, Miles abruptly slowed down the car to pull safely to the side of the road. After he turned off the ignition and unbuckled his seat belt, he lifted his arm and wrapped it around Tristan's seat.

"But, you're my boyfriend now," Miles whispered. He attentively watched Tristan, waiting for him to turn around. "Tris…look at me?" His softly spoken request caused chills to run down Tristan's spine, giving him no choice but to listen to Miles and face him.

"Please just forget what I said anything. Okay?" He shakily reached his hand out to grip one side of Miles' jacket. "I'm just worried about you, Miles. Maya was the first one to notice something wrong. I should have noticed right along with her." Leaning forward, Tristan placed his lips against the corner of Miles' mouth as a silent apology. He couldn't say what he really wanted to say to Miles out loud, because it would 99.9% freak the other boy out. But, he felt such intense adoration and love for the brunette that his shame at pushing him away so quickly just broke him.

Miles cupped Tristan's cheek, not letting go as his eyes roamed all over Tristan's face, lingering on his lips and finally settling onto his eyes. "It's okay," he soothed. He wanted to tell Tristan more but he couldn't. Fear and shame paralyzed him. How could he tell Tristan the truth?

Tristan shook his head in disagreement, "No." He rubbed his thumb over a small patch of exposed skin where Miles' buttoned down shirt opened slightly.

"Do you still want to come over?" The question was meant to be asked nonchalantly, but Miles' broken voice betrayed him. He's never sounded so vulnerable before. His cool facade went everywhere with him, but he could feel his ability to maintain it slip away.

"Of course," Tristan reassured before resting his forehead against Miles' own. "I'll be there. Whenever you need me, I promise. Until you grow sick of me."

Miles' lips twitched into a small smile, feeling incredibly relieved. "Not possible," he whispered. "I don't think you realize how important you are to me, Tris. Please, don't waste your time worrying about my past with Maya." He slid his hand to the back of Tristan's neck, gripping it firmly. "I'm with you now." He moved closer, brushing his lips against Tristan's before pressing his lips against his fully.

A whimper escaped Tristan's mouth at the kiss, and he returned it just as eagerly.

When two pulled apart briefly for air, Tristan spoke. "You're important to me too." The statement caused knots to form in his stomach. It was a huge understatement, since he's been adoring Miles from afar since he first met him.

Miles' small smile didn't leave his face. "Well, it's good to know the feeling is mutual," he joked.

"Finally," teased Tristan. "I've been waiting a long time for you, Hollingsworth."

"Yeah?" Questioned Miles playfully. He pressed his lips against Tristan's for a longer kiss, pulling away slowly. Without breaking eye contact, he put his sunglasses back on and stroked Tristan's cheek one final time before returning to his seat. He took a moment to compose himself and place his usual armor back on. "Let's do this," he stated cooly. He sped away.

Tristan stared at Miles, his forehead creasing with worry at the thought of lunch at Hollingsworth mansion. "Yeah," he agreed weakly. "Let's do it," he swallowed thickly. What would he find there?

His eyes fluttered shut when he felt Miles gently grab his hand. At least he'll be there for him this time. That's all that really mattered to Tristan.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading!**


End file.
